EDMONTON -- An Alberta judge has disqualified an elected councillor for the village of Ryley after he failed to pay over $3,000 in taxes on time. Nikita Lee did not pay any taxes or utilities between Sept 16, 2017 and Nov. 18, 2019, according to a Feb. 19 Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench ruling. Judge Shaina Leonard ruled Lee’s failure to address his debt disqualified him from his councillor position. “He continued to occupy his position as a councillor for the Village over a period of 22 months while he remained indebted to the Village,” reads Leonard’s ruling. “This created a conflict of interest and at the very least, a perception that the law did not apply equally to Mr. Lee.”